
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Three Earliest Encounters: Archaeology, Scholarly Debate, and the Shifting Grounds of Interpretation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Magic in Context and Culture Magic in Context and Culture
-
Physical Dangers in the Baths Physical Dangers in the Baths
-
Violence Violence
-
Sexual and Social Anxieties Sexual and Social Anxieties
-
-
Demonic Manifestations of Fear Demonic Manifestations of Fear
-
Magical Remedies Magical Remedies
-
-
-
-
-
Eight A Scary Place: The Perils of the Bath and Jewish Magic Remedies
Get access-
Published:May 2023
Cite
Abstract
This chapter discusses the ways in which the study of magic in Roman bathhouses has shed light on some of the dark aspects of this otherwise pleasant and enjoyable facility. Not all was fun in the bathing world; alongside its many amenities and luxuries, a variety of physical hazards, social pressures, and the potential for unwanted sexual attention undermined the good life of the baths. Ancient people associated these risks with the presence of demons and relied on magic to overcome them. The rabbis, when viewed through the prism of the magical practices associated with the Roman bathhouse, emerge as ordinary residents of the Graeco-Roman milieu. They attended bathhouses as frequently as any other people in Roman cities and towns, and to cope with its dangers and the anxieties caused by such risks, they resorted to the same means as everyone else, namely magical techniques and spells, albeit with the occasional Jewish spin on them.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
August 2024 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.